Samsung SC-D6550 Camcorder Review by David Kender Published on Sep 19, 2005 10:00 AM

If anything about the SC-D6550 Duocam seemed like a good idea, I’d be the first to admit it. I want to like this camera. The idea is just too absurd not to raise your curiosity. A camcorder with two lenses! It must do something extraordinary. In truth, the Duocam is little more than a digital still camera with some video features thrown in. And while the still photos do look great, they come at a high cost - a total lapse in video performance. We feel somewhat guilty picking on this camcorder, like we're singling it out because it's different from all the other camcorders on the block, but it's just so bad in so many ways that we can't resist.

Video Performance(3.5)
The SC-D6550 uses a 1/6” CCD, separate from the enormous 1/1.25” CCD used for still capture. One look at the 3000 lux test will tell you that the Duocam has problems with its video. The root of the problem is simple, but crucial: no manual white balance. Couple this with a poor automatic white balance and the result is some inexcusably bad video. The entire picture was washed over with a yellow-brown tint. The only video performance we can really compare this to is last year’s Fisher FVD-C1, a camcorder of equally bizarre design that also lacked white balance. While we didn’t think you could do worse than the Fisher, we have to admit that the SC-D6550 was comparatively much less vivid, and lacked the sharpness that a camcorder should have no trouble achieving in bright light.

Two camcorders in the same price range, the Canon Elura 85 and the Panasonic PV-GS35, far exceeded the SC-D6550 in video quality. The colors were brighter and more differentiated, and the image was sharper (more so in the Elura 85). These are hardly top-end models, but they demonstrate what you should expect for your dollar in the under-$500 range.

Because the SC-D6550 is considered a hybrid camcorder / still camera, we also compared it to some camcorders that excelled in this field. The JVC MC-500 video was somewhat washed, but the image was still far brighter and, unquestionably, preferable to the SC-D6550's. The JVC GR-X5 also took excellent stills and provided a wealth of still options, so it may be considered a hybrid as well. The GR-X5 blew us away with its video performance, and it proved that breakaway design does not always mean poor performance.

Video Resolution (9.9)
Imatest Imaging Software allows us to calibrate the best possible resolution of the Samsung SC-D6550. Video footage is taken of a standard resolution chart in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. The stills from that video are exported to the software. The camcorder had approximately 376.8 lines of horizontal resolution (with 3.54% clipping) at its best and approximately 286.2 line of vertical resolution (with 14.8 % clipping) at its best. The SC-D6550 generated a true resolution of 107840 (0.1 MP). In 16:9 mode the camcorder gave approximately 318.6 lines of horizontal resolution (with 2.06% clipping), and 311.2 lines of vertical resolution (with 2% clipping) at its best, yielding a best possible resolution of 99148.32 (0.09 MP).

A note of explanation - clipping is a term that Imatest uses when the exposure is too low for the software to accurately measure the resolution. If an image is clipping, there is marginal potential for a miscalculation, and scores should be read with this in mind. Only one other camera had provided us with similar troubles this year, the Sony DCR-TRV480, a Digital8 camcorder.

The Front (7.0)
The front of the SC-D6550 is the most exciting thing going for this camcorder. You’ll notice, of course, that there are two lenses. The apparent centerpiece of this product is the lens for digital stills. It’s quite large, at least the barrel suggests so, and it is located in the center of the body. When in still mode, the lens telescopes out. It also features a built-in lens cap.

Almost as an afterthought, the video lens hangs along the upper left edge. It has no built-in lens cap and appears quite small in comparison (a 25mm filter diameter, small for a camcorder). In the upper right is a flash. Underneath the video lens are the remote sensor and two unlabeled sensors, presumably for reading light and white balance.

The Right Side (5.5)
Looking at the right side will give you an idea of the ungainly mass of the SC-D6550. It’s reminiscent of the opening shot in Star Wars: a massive ship passing overhead, stretching out further and further, extending to impossible lengths. I exaggerate, but not by much. In a world of shrinking camcorders, this looks more like a Digital8 cam.

The right side opens for the bottom-loading MiniDV docking bay. Towards the rear is one of the two mode dials. There is certainly enough to hold onto here, but that does not necessarily make it comfortable. The right side is long, but short. My fingertips ended up overshooting the controls on top by several inches, making handling rather difficult.

The Back (5.5)
The rear of the SC-D6550 is taken up mostly by the battery. To the right, just  where there's barely a sliver of plastic between the battery and the side mode dial, is the record start / stop button. The button is buried between protruding objects, and is difficult to press if you’re rushed to start recording.

Along both sides of the battery are all the camcorder’s ports. On the right is the DV port. On the left are ports for a microphone input, USB, A/V / S-Video, and DC power. A viewfinder sits above the battery. Viewfinders have been disappearing from many camcorders in the past few years, and we would normally be inclined to applaud Samsung. However, the viewfinder does not even extend past the battery, and the picture is terrible. It serves no purpose but finding the roughest approximation of your shot.

The Left Side (6.5)
The left side of the SC-D6550 is home to a series of buttons for manual control. Starting from the top near the front, there is the Easy Q button (for Easy mode), Display, and Menu. The primary feature is the four-way navigation joystick. Of all the four-way navigation pads this year, the Duocam’s is not the worst, but it’s certainly no award-winner, either. Pushing the Menu button draws up the full menu. You use the joystick – and only the joystick – to make selections and adjustments.

A second navigation system is located on the LCD panel, via a toggle switch along the left edge of the screen. Pushing in this switch accesses a somewhat redundant manual control menu. It’s like the “greatest hits” of the full menu, but with a few additions, like shutter speed and exposure. You can scroll through with the toggle switch – and only the toggle switch. And while you can turn the menu on with this switch, you can only turn it off by pressing the menu button, located way back on the body. It’s all a terribly confusing business, if you ask me.

Inside the LCD cavity are a series of needlessly small playback buttons. This design choice is beyond me. Given the relatively large pallet of the LCD cavity, the buttons could easily have been made twice as big. Instead, we are left to work with this barely accessible interface. Underneath the buttons is the playback speaker. Underneath that, reaching up from the bottom of the camcorder, is the Memory Stick / SD / MMC card slot.

The Top (4.5)
The top of the SC-D6550 sports the second mode dial. This is only active when in camera mode, which is a terrible tease. The options look great: Aperture and Shutter Priority, full manual mode, and more. They would be great for video, but the options are not available. Next to the camera mode dial is the shutter button for taking stills. On its other side is the zoom toggle, an piece of plastic easy to grip, but for one flaw. It falls under the middle finger instead of the index finger. The entire back right region of the body is such a jumble of poorly placed buttons that it hardly seems worth my time to harp on this one error. Also on top is the built-in microphone.

Picture & Manual Control
Automatic Control (2.0)
Automatic controls are flat-out poor on the SC-D6550. The camcorder can’t seem to focus on a single image for more than a few seconds without jumping back out again and readjusting itself. Even in exceptionally good light, the LCD showed the Duocam blinking in and out, constantly blurring and refocusing.

White balance is just as bad, and this is one of the great tragedies of the SC-D6550. While focus can always be adjusted manually, there is no manual white balance in video mode. In bright light, the entire spectrum seems to have taken on a brownish tint. The results are reminiscent of another camcorder that bordered on the ludicrous, the Fisher FVD-C1.

Automatic exposure is adequate, but with the white balance adjusting so poorly, it’s difficult to tell whether the problem is one of exposure or just bad color. The Duocam takes a long time to read the environment and determine the correct exposure setting. Once it does, the adjustment is rather abrupt, as if flipping on a light. Camcorders with better automatic controls, like Sonys, make the change quickly and smoothly.

Program AE modes are available through the manual control menu, accessed via the toggle switch to the left of the LCD screen. They include: Auto, Sports, Portrait, Spotlight, Sand / Snow, and High Speed.

Overall Manual Control (4.0)
Most of the manual controls affecting image quality are found on the “Quick Menu,” accessed by pressing down on the toggle switch on the left border of the LCD screen. This menu contains some of the controls found on the main menu, along with some additional controls. Why did some controls get carried over, but others did not? I don’t know. Digital image stabilization on / off is at the top of the manual control list – not a control I would typically demand to have at arm’s reach. It’s all rather confusing.

The toggle switch beside the LCD screen is the only way to navigate the manual control menu. To draw up the menu, push the toggle in. You cannot use the joystick. To turn the menu off, however, you need to push the Menu button next to the joystick. This segregation of controls only steepens the learning curve for new users.

 
Joystick (left) and toggle switch (right)

The biggest burn video users will find when operating the SC-D6550 is the lack of manual control options when compared to the wealth of options in camera mode. An entire mode dial – complete with Aperture and Shutter Priority, full manual, scene modes, and MySet, which stores personal settings – is rendered moot in video mode. The dial sits there, luring in unsuspecting purchasers with the promise of manual control, then mocking them. None for you, sir!

Zoom (6.5)
The zoom toggle on the SC-D6550 is a design I would like to see more of from other manufacturers. Raised, wide on top, easy to grip, and decently weighted. But that said, the zoom control is not good. It’s not the toggle; it’s the placement of the toggle. While the body of the Duocam is certainly long enough, the height is rather short. This means that the right hand is much larger, and must curl down to reach the zoom toggle. Even more frustrating is the jumble of controls in the right rear region of the body. Because Samsung felt the need to squeeze so many mode dials and buttons into such a small space, the zoom toggle was pushed forward, falling under the middle finger rather than the index.

Focus (4.0)
Manual focus is the only control with a dedicated button, located on the LCD panel above the manual control toggle. Holding the toggle switch up or down adjust the focus. There is no scale, not even a +/- scale to tell you in which direction you are focusing. You must rely solely on the LCD picture, which is hardly a precise gauge of anything. In yet another burn, a scale, a good scale, is available in still mode, but not here in video mode.

Exposure (Aperture) (4.75)
Unfortunately, exposure is not measured in F-stops on the SC-D6550. This is rather perplexing, considering the breadth of shutter speeds. In video mode, the exposure value can be set between 00 and 29. These controls are rather limiting, as the automatic controls will boost the value to 29 rather quickly in lower light, maxing out your options for more exposure.

In camera mode, an Aperture Priority mode is available. This feature allows you to adjust the aperture at will, while the camcorder accommodates with an appropriate shutter speed. Think of it as training wheels for the beginning manual controller. The tease of having this feature available in camera mode but not video mode hurts, and begs the question of how much more work Samsung would have had to do to offer it on both.

Shutter Speed (7.0)
Shutter speed is accessed through the manual control menu. Options range from 1/60, 1/100, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, 1/4000, and 1/10,000. The upper limits of this range are not usually found on consumer camcorders, and would require a great deal of light in order to remain effective.

Shutter Priority is available in camera mode, but not in video mode. With this feature, you can adjust the shutter speed to any setting, and the Duocam will automatically adjust the aperture.

White Balance (1.0)
Believe it or not, there is no manual white balance available in video mode. Oh, it’s there if you’re taking stills, but not for your precious moving pictures. No, no. For that, you must resign yourself to the Duocam’s remarkably bad automatic white balance controls.

The white balance controls that do exist include Auto, Hold, Indoor, and Outdoor. The Hold setting is misleading, and perhaps downright deceptive. Of course, we expected to find a manual white balance on a $500 (approx.) camcorder, and assumed that Samsung had merely gotten cute with the nomenclature. But alas, Hold merely retains the automatic white balance from one environment and allows you to carry it over to the next. But because it can hardly set it correctly the first time, there’s little desire to carry it over into another shot.

Gain (0.0)
There is no manual gain on the SC-D6550.

Other Manual Control (0.0)
There are no other manual control options on the SC-D6550.

Ease of Use (3.75)
Despite the price range, which implies an easy to use, point-and-shoot type of model, the SC-D6550 is anything but a joy. The interface with the menu system is confusing. There are two navigation controls, a joystick on the left side of the body, and a toggle switch next to the LCD panel. At different times, you are required to use one control and not the other; at other times you are required to use both. You turn the manual control menu on with one button, but turn it off with another. Why the split? I do not know. I can assure you, however, that the learning process is frustrating.

One feature the Duocam has going for it is the multiplicity of recording media for stills. In a port style adopted from laptop computers, the SC-D6550 accepts Memory Sticks, Memory Stick Duos (with the adapter to make it larger), SD cards, and MultiMedia cards. Such variety allows you to choose the best media for capacity, cost, and compatibility with other electronics.

Still Features (9.75)
Switching the Duocam to camera mode feels like an event. The lights dim (on the LCD), an opening animation greets you, and the camera lens blinks open and telescopes outward, hungry for images. One look at the still features on the SC-D6550 and you will know where Samsung put their priorities. Given the wealth of options here that the video mode is denied, the Duocam may not even warrant a full review. But we have the camera, so we might as well tell you everything we know about it.

Stills can be recorded to Memory Stick, Memory Stick Duo (with the adapter), SD card, and MM card. Fine, Super Fine, Normal, and TIFF are all included as saving options. MPEG4 movies can also be saved to the card at 30 fps and 15 fps. The resolution options are great: 640 x 480, 1024 x 768, 1200 x 1200, 2048 x 1536, 2272 x 1704, and a whopping 2592 x 1944. MPEG4 video can also be shot in 320 x 240.

The mode dial, that cumbersome plastic knob that blocked your thumb in video mode, is now capable of delivering a multitude of camera modes: Full manual, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, MySet (which lets you save three personal settings), Scene Mode (an expanded list of ten Program AE choices), and more.

The Easy Q mode works the same as it does in video mode, allowing the unsuspecting user to turn over image quality control to the inferior internal computer. As in video mode, the automatic controls are unforgivably bad. The white balance is especially terrible. You do, however, have the option of manual white balance in camera mode, sorely missed in video mode. Also unlike the options in video mode, they have expanded the presets to include Glow Lamp, Halogen, Fluorescent, Cloudy, and Sunny.

The manual control list is excellent. In addition to white balance, you have ISO, shutter speed, exposure, and sharpness control. ISO choices include 50, 100, 200, and 400. The process of adjustment is terribly confusing, however, as it requires using the manual control toggle and the joystick in a two-handed fashion.

Mode dial on right side (right) and mode dial on top (left)

Shutter speed ranges from 1/2000, 1/1500, 1/1000, 1/750, 1/500, 1/350, 1/250, 1/180, 1/125, 1/90, 1/60, 1/45, 1/30, 1/20, 1/15, 1/10, 1/8, 1/6, 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 0.7, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 6.0, 8.0, 10.0, and 15.0 seconds. Shutter Priority mode allows you to adjust this at will and will adjust the exposure accordingly.

Exposure is also better in camera mode, now measured in F-stops. They include f/2.8, f/3.5, f/4.0, f/4.8, f/5.6, and f/6.7. Aperture Priority mode will automatically compensate aperture shifts with a suitable shutter speed. Spot Metering and Multi AE are additional features for adjusting exposure.

Sharpness – which can be set to soft, normal, or hard – is a digital effect that smooths or hardens the edges of lines, particularly those in sharp color contrast to the background. Bracketing is also available, which takes three pictures at varying exposure settings: one at -5EV, one at zero EV, and one at +5EV.

Samsung couldn’t pack any more still features onto this “camcorder” if they tried. There are so many features, in fact, that I wonder why anyone would bother with the video, which has few features and terrible performance. Frankly, I can’t figure out why anyone would even buy this camcorder, because the same still features are available on any medium-level digital still camera at a reduced cost and a fraction of the size.

Still Resolution (16.7)
Stills of a standard resolution chart were taken and exported to Imatest Imaging Software, which calculates the camcorders best possible still resolution. The Samsung SC-D6550 can capture stills at a multitude of sizes, the largest being 2592 x 1944. Unlike the video resolution test this camcorder’s stills had admirable results. This model's best possible resolution was 1671786.75 (1.6 MP). As of this publication date, this is the highest still resolution score ever for a camcorder that we've tested.

Still Performance (8.75)
Still photos on the SC-D6550 are captured through a separate CCD, an enormous 1/1.25” chip. Next to the relatively small 1/6” CCD for video, the CCD again tells you where the priorities on the Duocam are.

For as high as the resolution measures, the color differentiation is not as vivid as I had hoped it would be. A large CCD would be expected to pick up a relatively large amount of information, yet the picture is not quite as bright or compelling as the GR-X5's, which had a smaller CCD (1/4.5”). The colors were certainly not disappointing. I express some reservations only because the stills perform better, and perform amazingly, as they come at the expense of size and good video performance.

The picture did appear to be sharper than the highest resolution stills from the GZ-MC500, though the colors were not as bright. The Elura 85 and PV-GS35 could not compare, with the PV-GS35 producing a noisy, unfocused picture, and the Elura blowing out the colors.

All in all, the SC-D6550 lives up to its promise of great still performance, but even with an entire imaging system dedicated to the purpose, it still can't beat a single-system camcorder, the GR-X5.

Low Light Performance (3.5)
We tested the SC-D6550 for low light performance, one of the most important aspects of a camcorder’s overall grade. Low light situations for camcorders occur far more often than you might suppose with your naked eye, as CCDs require more light in order to produce a quality picture.

At 60 lux, the Duocam produced a below average image. Not that the picture had much color definition to begin with at 3000 lux, but even more has been lost. Noise increased greatly, more so than any of the competition. The Elura 85 and Panasonic PV-GS35 were only slightly better, with less grain and brighter colors. The JVC GZ-MC500 and GR-X5 both employ automatic gain control, which boosts the overall signal, resulting in vivid pictures with a surprising lack of noise.

We also tested the SC-D6550 in 60 lux at shutter speeds of 1/60 and 1/100. The picture at 1/60, the Duocam’s lowest manual setting, is remarkably darker, indicating some sort of automatic slow shutter had previously been activated. 1/100 is, naturally, even darker.

15 lux is the point at which only the very best low light performers prove themselves. Some camcorders will stay sharp but lose all color information, producing what is essentially a dim black & white picture. The SC-D6550 can be placed in the opposite category – those camcorders that manage to retain some color under an avalanche of noise. That said, it didn’t even do that well in that particular category. The Elura 85 and Panasonic PV-GS35 both produced much more color, with the Elura 85 being a standout performer in its price class. The JVC MC-500 and GR-X5 were both better than the Duocam, but not overwhelmingly so.

15 lux with shutter speed of 1/60

15 lux with shutter speed of 1/100

As was the case in 60 lux, at 15 lux manual shutter speed controls of 1/60 and 1/100 did nothing to help.

One additional note about manual controls in low light: the SC-D6550 has a range of 29 settings for exposure. We had planned on testing each light rating (60 lux and 15 lux) at different exposure settings. But the automatic controls had already boosted the setting to the max of +29 in 60 lux. To set it any lower would have intentionally crippled its performance.

Zoom Power/Ratio (10.0)
Samsung’s SC-D6550 is equipped with a 10x optical and 900x digital zoom video lens, while the photo lens is outfitted with a 3x optical and 12x digital zoom lens.

Wide Angle (9.0)
The Samsung SC-D6550’s widest angle was measured in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios. In 4:3 mode, the camcorder had a wide angle measurement of 45 degrees, while it measured 56 degrees in 16:9 mode.

4:3 Aspect Ratio on LCD

Widescreen Aspect Ratio on LCD

VCR Mode (7.0)
This model’s playback options are simple. Playback on the SC-D6550 can be activated by turning the mode dial to play and utilizing the playback navigation buttons found in the LCD cavity. Operating the playback buttons can be cumbersome because the buttons are small and clustered together in the upper left-hand corner. It is puzzling that Samsung would huddle these little buttons together and not exploit the vast space in the LCD cavity. The camcorder offers nothing but the most basic playback functions. Other than the standard navigational control options, you can use the supplied remote control for frame advance, which moves the image one frame at a time. The most notable feature offered in playback is audio dubbing, which allows you to add a second audio track, such as background music or narration. In still playback, you simply have the options to view and delete.

LCD/Viewfinder (5.0)
The Samsung SC-D6550 is outfitted with a 2.5” Liquid Display LCD screen. The screen swivels 270 degrees. While the LCD has great mobility, it solarizes when viewed at an angle, therefore hindering its versatility. The brightness and color of the LCD can adjusted within the menu.

The 0.3” viewfinder hinders this camcorder’s ease of use. It only extends about an inch, barely clearing the battery. You have to press your face against the battery in order to utilize the viewfinder. It is impossible to judge the quality of the image when squinting through the viewfinder because the image appears darker than the LCD image.

Audio (6.75)
12 and 16 bit audio can be recorded by the Samsung SC-D6550’s stereo microphone, located at the top of the camcorder. A microphone input port is placed around back, which allows you to record audio with an external microphone. The camcorder does not have an accessory shoe, which means that you’ll have to find an alternate power source for the microphone. A Wind Cut feature trims some of the high-end noise from the audio track, often caused by wind.

Handling (5.0)
Handling is not one of the SC-D6550’s strong suits. Button placement is poor, clustered in some places, too far apart in others. The right rear corner is the biggest problem area, home to two mode dials, the zoom toggle, the photo shutter button, and the video start / stop button. Because the camcorder is not very tall, but it is long, your hand tends to not tailor itself to the body. There’s no good way to have all the buttons within reach without other buttons getting in the way. Also, the hand strap could not adjust very tightly, making an assured grip that much more difficult.

The reverse problem occurs in menu navigation, where two buttons – the primary joystick and the toggle switch on the LCD panel – sometimes overlap and sometimes mutually exclude each other. It makes setting manual controls a chore.

Also, the video lens and still lens are in two different places on the body. This can cause a problem if you’re shooting from a tripod and want to keep the same shot composition for video and stills. It’s simply not possible. And another note for tripod users: both MiniDV tapes and SD cards are loaded from the bottom.

Don’t count on using the viewfinder. It telescopes to the entirely useless length of not-even-past-the-battery.

Portability (5.5)
The SC-D6550 is not what a consumer in 2005 would call portable. In attempting to meld two similar but distinctly different functionalities, Samsung happened to strike upon the least effective possible design. Two lenses, two lens barrels, two imaging systems. JVC managed to combine them in two models – the GZ-MC500 and the GR-X5 – that produce great performance in both categories. The Duocam gives half the performance with twice the bulk.

Battery Life (14.3)
The SC-D6550 was tested for battery life. We shot continuously with the LCD open (plugging back in to change tapes) and without any zoom or interface engaged. The included battery (SB-LS110) lasted for an amazing 2 hours and 23 minutes (143 minutes). This greatly exceeded the manufacturer's estimate of 90 minutes, and should give you more than enough time between recharges.

Compression (8.0)
Video is recorded using standard MiniDV compression. Stills are saved in the JPEG format in three image quality settings: Superfine, Fine, and Normal. Stills can also be saved in TIFF format.

Media (8.5)
Video on the SC-D6550 is recorded to standard 6.25mm MiniDV tape. Stills can be recorded to a variety of media: MiniDV tape (640 x 480 only), SD/MM cards, and Memory Sticks and Memory Stick Duos with enlargement adapters (all resolutions). Motion JPEGs are also recorded to any of the cards.

Editing (8.0)
Editing options for MiniDV are favorable to DVD and flash memory media, as footage is easily captured into file formats that any editing software could import. The multitude of flash memory media for stills allows for transfer to almost any kind of flash port on a computer.

Widescreen/16:9 Mode (6.0)
The SC-D6550 does not feature true 16:9 aspect ratio. Instead, it adopts the practice used by many camcorders to cheat at a widescreen-looking picture without adding any new information. The process crops from the top and bottom, then stretches the picture out in a digital process to fill the widescreen frame.

4:3 Aspect Ratio

Widescreen Aspect Ratio

Scan Rates/24P (0.0)
The SC-D6550 records in no additional rates other than 60 interlaced frames per second.

Ports (8.25)
Ports on the SC-D6550 include a microphone input, USB, A/V / S-Video (output only), DV, and DC power. The SD card and MiniDV tapes both load from the bottom.

Other Features (4.0)
Digital Effects - There are numerous digital effects included on the SC-D6550. All are accessed through the manual control menu. They include: Art, Mosaic, Sepia, Negative, Mirror, Black & White, Emboss1, Emboss2, Pastel1, Pastel2, and 16:9.

DIS - Digital Image Stabilization smooths out a shaking hand, but is not as effective as an optical stabilization system.

Tele Macro - This feature allows you to focus more effectively in tight zooms, 50 – 100 cm (20 – 40 in.).

BLC - Back Light Compensation boosts exposure when a subject appears too dark before a bright backdrop.

C.NITE - Color Night slows down the shutter speed to 1/30 when the button is pressed, then 1/15 when pressed again.

Wind Cut - This feature cuts the high end of the audio signal, often caused by wind.

Comparisons
Panasonic PV-GS35
The PV-GS35 is Panasonic’s top 1 chip camcorder. The navigation on this camcorder is excellent, and its rear-panel joystick allows for simple, one-handed operation. Video performance was of middling quality, but far superior to the Duocam. The stills feature set was curtailed pretty severely. When you can only take stills at 640 x 480, what’s the point? The manual control on the PV-GS35, like all Panasonics, is fantastic: aperture, shutter speed, gain… the works. And it’s easy to use, so beginners can feel comfortable experimenting with manual controls. Automatic controls are decent, but certainly better than the SC-D6550. Both camcorders have the same number of ports, minus the headphones found on the SC-D6550.

Canon Elura 85
The Canon Elura 85 featured excellent video performance for a great price, a hallmark of Canon’s Elura series. Performance was boosted by the Elura’s bigger chip and better manual controls (white balance, for one). Like most Canons, the Elura 85 has an excellent ease of use and solid automatic controls. Manual control is not the Elura’s strong suit, but most of the necessary options are there. The Elura handles better than the SC-D6550, but has button placement issues of its own (the jog dial, the main navigation control, sits way up front and can get eclipsed by the LCD). Not nearly as many still options.

JVC GZ-MC500
The GZ-MC500, the top of the line model in JVC’s tape-less Everio series, is in a different class altogether from the middle-to-lower-end Samsung SC-D6550. However, both camcorders fancy themselves as hybrid video / still cameras, and we felt it educational to compare them.

The GZ-MC500 records video to a removable, 4GB Microdrive in MPEG2 format. Video quality is excellent, with sharp definition and vivid colors, thanks to its 3 CCDs. Stills can be recorded to the Microdrive or an SD card. The feature set nearly rivals that of the Duocam, but the baseline quality is superior, regardless of the slight lack of manual control options. The second great strength of the GZ-MC500 is the portability – this thing is tiny. For its size, manual control is pretty impressive, though the joystick is almost as difficult to use as the Duocam’s. Still, we loved it. At nearly $1000 more, you get what you pay for with the GZ-MC500.

JVC GR-X5
JVC’s GR-X5 was a surprise performer for us this year. With outstanding video and still performance, this camcorder should also qualify as a hybrid, even if it doesn’t advertise it as much as the SC-D6550 or the GZ-MC500. This 3 CCD cam shoots video to conventional MiniDV, and its picture was among the best we’ve seen this year. Manual control was excellent, and the four-way navigational pad provided a definite interface advantage over the joystick. The cubical body design is certainly a bit strange, but handling turned out to be remarkably good. Our only complaint was the limited movement of the LCD.

Still features and performance on the GR-X5 were outstanding. It could even rival the SC-D6550 with manual ISO settings. While the Duocam’s still resolution score was higher, the picture from the GR-X5 looks better – the stills are more vivid and crisp. Finally, from a cosmetic standpoint, the GR-X5 has one lens, which will make you look a lot less ridiculous at the company picnic.

Who It’s For
Point-and-Shooters (0.0)
The difficult navigation and interface makes this a discouraging choice for beginners and people interested only in occasional shooting. Not recommended to point-and-shooters.

Budget Consumers (0.0)
The price makes the SC-D6550 seem like a viable purchase, but consider the purpose. If you want video, this camcorder is only sure to disappoint. If you want stills, you could easily find a camera with equal features at a fraction of the size.

Still Photo / Video Camera Hybrid (0.0)
The stills from the SC-D6550 are among the best you’ll find in a camcorder, but video is the other half of the equation in a hybrid – more important, in fact, when you consider that the still functionality is typically the add-on, not the other way around. Unfortunately, this equation is not balanced.

Gadget Freaks (0.0)
Ooh, look! Two lenses! Fifteen minutes later, the joy wears off as you see the bride’s white wedding gown suddenly appear brown on the LCD. No, it’s not the sepia effect. That’s the automatic controls doing their thing. Don’t get suckered. Steer clear of this no matter how cool it looks.

Manual Control Freaks (0.0)
The feature set for stills is extensive, but we can’t recommend this on still features alone. Manual controls for video are confusing, and with a lack of manual white balance, you probably stopped reading this review twenty minutes ago.

Pros / Serious Hobbyists (0.0)
No.

Conclusion
Is it a hybrid? Yes, of sorts, but hybridism suggests a parity between both sides of the equation. While the still performance is excellent, and still features could not be beat, the video quality is appalling. And because we are after all Camcorderinfo.com, and not DigitalCameraInfo.com (a site which we do love dearly), we are obliged to weigh the video half of the equation more heavily. Our conclusion – it just ain’t there.

The lack of manual white balance should indicate immediately that this is not a serious camcorder. Only the very bottom-of-the-barrel models are deficient in such fundamental options. Confusing navigation, poorly placed buttons, and the absurdity of bulking up the body with two lenses sink the SC-D6550 to the bottom of our rankings this year.

It almost seems like Samsung didn't try when it came to the video side. The camcorder performs so badly, the auto and manual features are so bad and there is no smart integration between the video and still side that you have to really question their product design here. Yes, the idea of the DuoCam is pretty good, but in implementation this camcorder goes beyond failing, it's a joke. This camcorder is so bad, sadly showing the pattern of Samsung camcorders, that we frankly have a hard time calling them a true camcorder manufacturer. The DuoCam produces video like many of the "toy cams" out there and deserves the same amount of respect.

If you really want a real hybrid, you're going to have to spend around $800-$1,000 on Sony's DCR-PC1000 (Review, Specs, $699.97), or JVC's GR-DX5. It’s a little early in the game for hybrids to crack the under $500 mark, so why waste your money now? If you want a still camera, buy a still camera. You’ll have no trouble finding these features for less money and less than half the size. If you want a camcorder with even passable performance, buy a camcorder. You’ll be happier, and you’ll look better, too.